Grafden
Grafden is a city within the Noble State of Drenden, it's people being part of the Protectorate. It is a city built in the shadow of a castle of black stone whose people are devoted to maintaining vast crypts, awaiting the day when the dead will be allowed transport to the afterlife. History Grafden was originally a dukedom that fell into decline, eventually being bought piece by piece by wealthy merchants from Drenden. When the Duke die the city leadership was replaced with an interim council comprised of aldermen, Grave Wardens, and merchants. Pelor's Glory For more on this, see here. Grafden grew from a collection of hamlets that were connected via a dirt road, with those small communities forming the districts and wards of the city that stand today. Like many communities of this time the increase in traffic as pilgrims as armies moved across Etan allowed for the growth of local economies. Before the Castle As the fledgling city was forming from the smaller communities that were becoming increasingly connected, including a small cult of clerics known as the Grave Wardens that guarded a cairn barrow called the Crypts that slowly grew as more sought to have the bodies of their loved ones placed under the protection of these clerics. Eventually this local cult became the dominant religion in Grafden, the small presence of aretes of the Shining Virtues perform minor services outside of the Warden's purview. The cult preached that it had bartered with the cosmos to buy passage for everyone who guards the crypts, including those that supported them buy allowing their bodies to be taken into the barrow where their belongings were sold or reused, and their coin distributed among the clerics. The Black Seed is Planted At some point during the end of Pelor's Glory, some dark ritual was performed on the hill beside the town, and on its top was a dark stone said to have been the size of a man's fist. The telling of this story holds that it was not locals that had performed this ritual and those that had taken part were killed in whatever black magic they had undertaken. All who tried to move or touch the stone were struck down, killed by powerful spells and wards left upon it by the doomed cultists. Initially the Grave Warden's tried to contain the stone, building a prison of stone around it, but after a century the stone had somehow grown, eventually buckling the foundations built around it, digging itself into the earth and casting itself skyward. A cage of iron was constructed to keep it contained, but that too was buckled and broken as the stone grew, shaping itself into a structure, a fortification of seamless black obsidian. Long Night For more on this, see here. Over the centuries the people of Grafden learned to ignore the castle, the trivial matters of everyday life taking precedent over a dark power they had no control over. Occasionally a Grave Warden would lead a group of locals intent on knocking it down, none have been successful and most attempts end with the besiegers dying suddenly, struck down by the defences. The Duke's Demise During this time Grafden's Duke, Lafaard the Last, lost his son to a tragic accident, the Duke himself falling into a melancholy that Drenden used as an opportunity to buy up land in the city unchallenged. Eventually when the Duke passed, important buildings and guilds were controlled by the Company, with Grafden being absorbed into the Protectorate a decade after Lafaard's death. In name the city is ruled by a council dominated by aldermen and Grave Wardens, though should they wish to the merchants backed by Drenden could bring life in the city to a stop with their control of money and goods. Divine Era For more on this, see here. During the Silence of the Gods, the Black Castle began to grow at a rate unseen in generations, only slowing when the gods returned, though whatever had happened seemed to empower the Castle and now figures have been seen moving atop the walls in the night. Whatever power lurks in there seems to have grown without the watch of the heavens, emboldened by its new strength, it has become a threat to the city once again. Geography Grafden is an unwalled city, with cliffs along its northern side where the Black Castle sits atop the highest peak overlooking the wards and districts below. Jurat Once the district surrounding the manor of the family that held the dukedom, the district of Jurat now serves as the governing centre of Grafden. Dominated by the large building known as the Duke's Manor, this part of town is known for its expensive tastes and fashionable denizens. Borenstand The largest of the district, Borenstand are the slums, red light district and black market rolled into one, here the local guard, known as Duke's Men despite no duke ruling in Grafden, can be found brawling with locals to suppress riots, whoring in one of the many taverns and inns, or shaking down businesses to keep money lenders happy. Though it is a violent place, adventurers and strangers to Grafden will find this place the easiest to stay, not because it is the most welcoming, far from it, but rather because no one will ask where your money came from. Heuval The site of the burial cairns, Heuval has the largest amount of Grave Warden presence within the city, with the cleric's sending out patrols to find corpses within the city, their preferred hunting ground being Borenstand. Using their magics, they protect the bodies of those poor unfortunates they find in the streets and bring them back to their Crypts to be placed within. Other religious orders find Heuval to be the most welcoming as the Grave Warden's will accept aid from anyone from adventuring companies to the followers of the Shining Virtues. And as the population of Graden grows the Grave Wardens need help delving deeper and deeper beneath Heuval to place the dead. The Koop Originally known as Koopenholt, the large market square became known locally as the Koop, soon the nickname was appearing on all maps of the city when Drenden chartered the town. A small middle class dwell here, shops selling exotic trinkets from the Amaran brought by sailors in the Company, along with a growing fashion of tea shops selling the ground up beans and spices from across the Amaran for people to enjoy. Culture Grafden is like many Drenden cities, people walk around in the fashions of the coast made from fine silk and cloth gathered from the Amaran. There is great poverty as well as great joy. People live and die, in both serving the Grave Warden's in their duty. For many if it were not for the Black Castle, it would be an idyllic place to live. Buying Passage Within Grafden's strange religion is a peculiar relationship with coins, specifically the cult preaches that a man should not touch the coins of his betters. Thus a peasant in the Borenstand must never touch any coin but copper, a merchant may touch copper and silver, a nobleman those as well as gold, and a cleric (of any faith) may touch any coin though usually platinum is the example used. Coins in Grafden are often referred to as the class of person that is allowed to handle them. In practice only the strict adherence to the cult follow this tradition, though during the years many have used it as an excuse to seize coins held by those in the class below them. Only those that follow the cult are expected to adhere to this tradition, as it relates directly to their belief that the Grave Warden's have organised passage to the afterlife for the people of Grafden. Category:Location Category:Noble States Category:Etan Category:Settlement Category:Drenden